Claude Monet was diagnosed with cataracts in 1912, and recommended to undergo surgery. ... In a 1922 letter to author Marc Elder, Monet confided he recognised his visual impairment was causing him to spoil paintings, and that his blindness was forcing him to abandon work despite his otherwise good health.

Did Monet become blind?

In 1911, Monet became depressed after the death of his beloved Alice. In 1912, he developed cataracts in his right eye. ... Nearly blind, with both of his eyes now seriously affected by cataracts, Monet finally consented to undergo surgery for the ailment in 1923.

How did Monet lose his sight?

Through the eyes of Monet – and his cataract

In 1912, Claude Monet learned that he had cataracts, a disease of the eye that seems to have left its mark on his work. By distorting the light coming into the eye, cataracts reduce the capacity to perceive blue and purple and accentuate perception of warmer colors.